The Greatest Hero Ever (Luke 22:24-27)

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Randy Buchman

Presidential Election Day. This is not a day for the humble of the world to be recognized, though someone may be humiliated and have to concede, making warm statements about their opponent that they do not truly believe in their heart. The candidates attempt to portray themselves as ordinary Americans… folks who hunt geese, eat McDonalds hamburgers, and have such a soft spot for children that it drives them to have to kiss every baby they see (kinda gross!).

But the fact is that any thoughtful person knows neither of these individuals is ever very ordinary. An incumbent president probably has not opened a door for himself or driven a vehicle in many years; and honestly, we really don’t see many financially ordinary folks who make it to this level.

I really do not begrudge a wealthy guy being my president. In fact, it is really a good thing that someone who has had to shuffle vast amounts of money and fight nasty business battles be the one to run our country, versus a peon like me.

Jesus is a walking, visible definition of power and strength. But what makes our hero the greatest is His new definition of what is true greatness. He told the disciples one day after hearing them argue over who among them was foremost, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) The Gospel of Luke records the account this way…

^{LK 22:24} Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. ²⁵ Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. ²⁶ But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. ²⁷ For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

There is something so very compelling about a leader who yields his rights and instead takes a lower place. An excellent book on World War 1 naval conflict called “Castles of Steel” talks about the Commander in Chief of the British Grand Fleet – Admiral John Jellicoe. He was universally loved by all who served with him because of his caring ways and his personal knowledge of the name of every last seaman on his flagship – the Iron Duke.

There were occasions in our home over the years when the boys degenerated into an argument about who should be taking a turn this time to fold the laundry or empty the dishwasher. A couple of times I did not intervene in the conflict but simply rather got up and started doing it myself … which quickly sent a message to each boy and usually solicited universal assistance.

^{John 13:1} It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. ² The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Compelling leadership! We do not serve a master who is unable to understand us. He came to live with us, and be one of us.

^{HEB 2:14} Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil– ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. … ¹⁷ For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Looking at the leadership at the top levels of authority in our country and world, I am going to keep Jesus Christ as my hero. He is the greatest! I can relate to Him with a sense that He will understand me and my struggles a whole lot more than some guy on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, the United Nations in New York, or at NATO headquarters in Belgium! Jesus is the greatest hero!

Heroes Are As Old As Dirt (Colossians 1:13-20)

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Randy Buchman

It is true to say that heroes are as old as dirt. The earliest remaining stories from human antiquity are of heroic figures (Greek mythology, etc.)

A man named Joseph Campbell has written a book on this subject that talks about the concept of the “monomyth,” defined as the general framework providing a description of the significant elements of the world’s mythology. In a single sentence from his book “The Hero With A Thousand Faces” he says, “The hero ventures forth from the world of the common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” (p. 30)

Do you see what Campbell is saying? He is postulating that all stories have the same common framework or elements, particularly as regards the “hero” figure. Though I’ve not read more than excerpts from his book, I’d bet that he would say the story of the Bible is just another similar mythical story of antiquity… only the names and faces are different. Here is another paragraph…

“The mythological hero, setting forth from his common day hut or castle, is lured, carried away, or else voluntarily proceeds, to the threshold of adventure. There he encounters a shadowy presence that guards the passage. The hero may defeat or conciliate this power and go alive into the kingdom of the dark (brother-battle, dragon-battle; offering, charm), or be slain by the Opponent and descend in death (dismemberment, crucifixion). Beyond the threshold, then, the hero journeys through a world of unfamiliar yet strangely intimate forces, some of which severely threaten him (tests), some of which give magical aid (helpers). When he arrives at the nadir of the mythological round, he undergoes a supreme ordeal and gains his reward. … The final work is that of the return. If the powers have blessed the hero, he now sets forth under their protection (emissary); if not, he flees and is pursued (transformation flight, obstacle flight). At the return threshold the transcendental powers must remain behind; the hero re-emerges from the kingdom of dread (return, resurrection). The boon that he brings restores the world (elixir).”

As we have often shared in varied sermon series about the overarching story of the Bible, there indeed is a common thread between all grand stories. And there is a good reason for that thread – all stories borrow from THE STORY that God is writing … a story that features Jesus Christ as The Hero. The biblical story is not just another tale, nor even just the greatest of tales; it is THE story of stories from which all others borrow without realization.

So, who has the best hero? We could talk a lot about Zeus or Hercules or whomever. But that is not what we are about. And besides that, when they get set alongside Jesus Christ, they really are a bunch of little “girlie-guys.” Look at how Paul talks about a real hero…

^{COL 1:13} For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

While looking at this passage, we may by observation note the following list of statements about Jesus Christ…

He is the one who has made possible the redemption of all people from the death sentence of sin.
When you look at Jesus, you see a visible representation of the invisible person of God.
He is supreme over all creation in authority and importance (that is the idea of firstborn – it is a word of rank, not order of accomplishment).
He is the creator! He made all things and all powers wherever they be, or however impressed they are with themselves.
He is before, above, and beyond all things… and is the glue that holds all things together.
He is the head of the church… the body of those who inherit everything with him.
He is the first to rise from death and claim that victory for himself and others.
God is very happy to have the sum fullness of all that defines God to exist in Christ in bodily form.
It is through Jesus and His accomplishments on the cross that all the craziness ruining a perfect, created order is reconciled again forevermore.

Case closed! No other hero is in the same league!

^{Romans 16:25} Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, ²⁶ but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him– ²⁷ to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Hero, Stage Right (Galatians 4:4-7)

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Randy Buchman

The climatic highlight of most great stories is the appearance of the hero, along with his exploits that bring a resolution to the tension created by the storyline.

How do heroes make their appearance in most stories? The stereotypical method is seen by warriors like Napolean and Robert E. Lee, or the handsome prince from a far land – who show up on a white horse. Most heroes arrive at their zenith by virtue of political or military position, physical stature, wealthy breeding, or inherited titles of authority.

The manner and timing by which Jesus, The Hero of The Story, is brought into the drama is fascinating in scope, complexity and detail. The Old Testament hints of it as early as Genesis 3:15 … “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Admittedly, that is pretty subtle! But there is nothing subtle about Isaiah 7:14… “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” … or Micah 5:2… “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

It is not too much to say that the whole story of the Bible is about Jesus Christ and his accomplishments. I am sure many of you have heard the listing of the books of the Bible, wherein each is subtitled by the manner in which Jesus Christ is connected to the theme of that book. Jesus is the certainly the central character and the central unifying theme of the Scriptures and God’s Story. Any timeline of Biblical history invariably begins by drawing a line and putting a cross on the center of it.

If we consider the progressive revelation of God’s story from that timeline – moving forward from creation through Noah, Abraham, Genesis, and the national history of Israel – thousands of years pass, and it would seem that sin, darkness, death and ultimate despair will win in the end. But, as some translations write, Galatians 4:4 says, “In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son.” The NIV says…

^{GAL 4:4} But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵ to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. ⁶ Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

God’s timing is always perfect; and in the case of the coming of Christ is truly amazing. It was the perfect time, and God orchestrated various world events to stage the work of Jesus Christ and thereby facilitate the worldwide spread of the Gospel. There was the pax Romana – the Roman Peace… meaning that one empire ruled the entire civilized world in relative peace. There was a common trade language – Greek. The Romans had a system of roads and travel that facilitated the easy and rapid spread of the Gospel. The system of Jewish synagogues throughout the empire worked for the good of the dissemination of the message of Jesus’ work. All of this is what constitutes “the fullness of time.”

Yet in it all, the wonder of the incarnation is especially revealed in the picture we see of the humiliation of Jesus – to give up the glory of heaven, to step into human form, to submit to death, and therefore carry the sins of the world. Amazing! What a hero indeed!

Thank God for His intervention onto the stage of human history, for His supply, for His grace in allowing us to have the privileged position of knowing these things from our place – late on the timeline.

^{PHP 2:5} Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.^:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross!

The Perils of Mountain Climbing (Philippians 1:21-26)

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Randy Buchman

I love all sorts of sports (even soccer, just a little bit). But, a sport I’ve never felt any measure of calling to get involved in is that of mountain climbing. I really don’t mind heights, but are you kidding me? There is no way that hanging by your fingernails on the side of a mountain makes any sense at all! That truly is treacherous!

However, there are a lot of similarities between the venture of journeying through life and the venture of mountaineering. Look at what this advertisement says, coming from a company marketing mountain climbing equipment…

Mountaineering can be fun, and relatively safe. Much depends on your level of expertise, partner, and choice of route. There are some potential objective hazards over which you have no control, such as weather, falling rock, and unseasonably late snow. What can stack the cards in your favor, however, is arming yourself with the right gear. It’s true, mountain climbing has become easier in the past decade, with sport-specific technology producing lighter, more efficient equipment. Lightweight helmets, mountaineering axes, and harnesses shave pounds off the weight of traditional gear, making it easier to feel like a climber rather than a pack mule.

Let me see if I can rewrite the above advertisement in different words…

“The journey of life can be fun, and relatively safe. Much depends upon your level of experience in walking with your partner – Jesus Christ – and the route you take in terms of the priorities of your life. There are some potential objective hazards over which you have no control, such as diseases, natural disasters, and unexpected events. What can stack the cards in your favor, however, is arming yourself with the Word of God. It is true, the journey of life has become potentially easier given the abundance of resources available in recent years. With lightweight CDs, study Bibles, and audio and video resources that ease the burdens of understanding the weighty truths of Scripture, it is easier for the believer to feel like a real champion in this life instead of a mere survivor.”

So much of what we are considering in this devotionals series surrounds the theme of calibrating our expectations for the inevitable sorrows of life. I think a greater number of Christians fail to have an appropriate balance in that regard, versus having the misbalance of viewing life in terms that are too negative. But there is great reason for joy in this world, along with excitement at the prospect of living in this world as a member of the Kingdom.

Again, you have got to love the perspective of the Apostle Paul…

^{Philippians 1:21} For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.

So what do you do with a person like this? He is happy to live, because that means the joy of a life lived with God. But if the worst thing that could happen, happens – death… that is even better yet! Because, to die means being with the Lord! That is a great perspective.

And Peter also has the same great idea…“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8,9) He rightly notes that we are even now, here in this fallen world, beginning to receive the joy of all that comes from the salvation of our souls.

My prayer for you, as you continue on in your epic journey through this Christian life, is that of Paul for the Romans… May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13).

Professor Twist (Romans 8:18-25)

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Randy Buchman

I really do not like poetry that much, nor did I ever have much educational exposure to this literary form. But for some reason, this poem of Ogden Nash has remained stuck within my mind from some primordial English class – many, many, many years ago… “The Purest” – by Ogden Nash

I give you now Professor Twist,

A conscientious scientist,

Trustees exclaimed, "He never bungles!

"And sent him off to distant jungles.

Camped on a tropic riverside,

One day he missed his loving bride.

She had, the guide informed him later,

Been eaten by an alligator.

Professor Twist could not but smile.

"You mean," he said, "a crocodile."

Can’t you just see a professor of zoology, noting the emphasis upon the difference between a crocodile and an alligator, instead of grieving the loss of his wife, whatever the creature?

Thinking about the epic journey theme of “this Christian life” raises to the surface a number of the large, difficult questions we grapple to understand. Like this one: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” A more theologically accurate way of asking that question might be, “Why do good things happen to bad people?” We are sinful people in an evil world subject to all that the curse of sin affects. Paul wrote of the condition of man in Romans 3, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”

As I wrote two days ago, I am often stunned at the expectation of so many Christian people that God owes them a life free of pain and sadness in this world. The fact of the matter is that tragedy is as likely to find its way to our address as it is to that of our unbelieving neighbor. God’s promise is not so much a deliverance from tribulations as it is a perseverance through them, and final ultimate rescue by our eternal translation to a better world. Troubles come to us as the natural result of our continued residency in a cursed world. Look at how Paul wrote about it…

^{RO 8:18} I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

^{RO 8:22} We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wat for it patiently.

See what Paul is saying? The creation is subject to decay because of the effects of sin in this world. This accounts for natural tragedies and the like that strike both the righteous and the wicked. There will be a better day for the world… but not just for the creation. Paul says that we too groan in our sufferings as we await the fulfillment of God’s promise to redeem our bodies in accord with our standing as His adopted family. This is our hope. It is not our current experience… for if it were, it would not be hope at all. No, it would be heaven now, and that is not the way the story works!

No, we are in the midst of our journey. By God’s grace, there is much joy and pleasure in this adventure. Yet, sadness and difficulties are part of the deal as well. But God is good all the time; and all the time, God is good… and that truth is more than enough to carry us through whatever may come our way.

About Marathons and Eating Elephants (Psalm 90:12)

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Randy Buchman

Any of us who have gone on a vacation with our children remember the most famous travel question of them all: “Are we there yet?” I about died laughing at the scene in Shrek 2 where Donkey keeps sticking his head forward in the carriage and continues to ask that question, along with some other antics!

Often in years past we drove to Texas quite a few times with a car full of kids. To help them get a sense of how far we had gone and how far we yet had to go, Diana devised a system of beads on a string wrapped around the passenger side visor. There were 15 sets of four alternating colors of beads, with each bead representing 25 miles (the distance from New Jersey to Dallas equaling 1500 miles). The boys could look at the beads being moved from right to left and at a glance get a sense of where we were, and how much remained.

The Bible gives us a very clear sense of how far our journey is… on the average. It says in Psalm 90, “The length of our days is seventy years–or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” That is pretty clear, isn’t it? Our lives average about 70-80 years, and the older we get, the more troubles and sorrows we encounter… treacherous journey stuff!

Life is strange. On one hand, it is long, and full of adventures both good and bad. And on the other hand, it is brief, especially in comparison to eternity… and the years just seem to fly by.

The old joke asks, “How do you eat an elephant?”… with the answer being, “one bite at a time!” And that is how we live life… one day at a time, dealing with each moment at hand to do what is right and with a perspective as to what counts for eternity. We can’t imagine how we will accomplish all we need to do, or how we may survive the trials that have come our way. But like eating the elephant, we handle responsibilities and troubles, one by one.

It helps to have a plan… to live life specifically and intentionally. How do you run a marathon? A step at a time! But there is more to it than even that. You can’t just go out and run 26.2 miles. It takes months of planning and training. For a new runner, it is actually a two to three year process. “Back in the day” I used to love training for participation in a marathon… picking an event and a date months in advance, and then planning a master program of training full of intermediate goals. It required an incredible amount of discipline and commitment. There were good days and bad days. Injuries and physical challenges. Days when the weather was perfect, but mornings at 5:30 a.m. where it was sub-zero. A plan for such contingencies was indispensable.

That is how our lives need to be lived as well… with a plan that considers the big picture of our lives, and the days and years we may have to serve God and be a blessing to those around us. That same Psalm gives an application to the truth observation as to the normal life span, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The Hebrew word here for “wisdom” denotes the concept of “skill in living.”

Let me ask you this question. Do you have a plan as to where you will be and what you will be doing five years from today? Ten years from today? Do you have personal goals for that time… and/or goals relating to family or others for whom you have responsibility? To have such plans and goals is to live responsibly, especially as one frames those plans with a view toward the place we have within the story God is writing.

Indeed, This Christian Life is exciting, but the journey is surely a treacherous one as well.

Calibrating Life’s Expectations (1 Peter 1:3-7)

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Randy Buchman

When things don’t go well, my first thought is always one of calibrating my expectations. Just how bad is it? Is it really bad? Or is it a “normal kind of bad” that maybe isn’t so bad after all? Like, when one of the boys would report from college that he got a C- on a test, I always ask, “How did everyone else in the class score?” If most of the class failed the test, the C- looks a whole lot better!

We need to calibrate life. For some reason, Christians too often seem to think that life should hand them a report card with straight-A grades. After all, they are now related to God, and if God really loves them as much as He claims to, everything should go well all the time, shouldn’t it?

There is really nothing in Scripture to support that viewpoint, yet it is prominent. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

I have seen more than a few church people get angry at God and register their complaint with a sort of boycott of God and His people. They sense a grave injustice when some relative dies prematurely, an obviously well-intentioned prayer goes unanswered, or their illness continues unabated.

The fact is that this world is a mess. It is a place full of troubles and trials. The promise of God is not one of deliverance from and freedom from all issues of sadness and suffering. His promise is an ultimate deliverance on the other side, along with perspective and strength on this side – even a joy in the midst of trials.

^{PS 138:7} Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.

^{PS 91:14} “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. ¹⁵He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

And beyond preserving us and strengthening us in the midst of troubles, the Word actually teaches that there is a positive benefit from these painful times.

^{1PE 1:3} Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

^{JAS 1:2} Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴ Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Our lives are a journey. For most of us, that journey will have more of a sense of being long than being short. There will be joys and sorrows. In fact, it may fairly be said that the journey of our life is a treacherous journey. But to journey with the Lord is the best journey out there – that is for sure. There is nowhere else to turn… certainly nothing that can offer more than the most temporary divergence.

^{PS 73:25} Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. ²⁶My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Saddle Up for a Great Adventure (Philippians 3:7-14)

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Randy Buchman

I am probably unusual in this regard, but I sometimes find myself going weeks or even months at a time without ever driving out of Washington County. I am plenty busy, doing life with the church and the family, etc. At these times, I often whimsically look at Route 81 south when I get off at exit #1 in Williamsport and just wish I could keep on driving! Just to cross the Potomac would be so cool! Go somewhere. Do something. Begin an adventure! A journey to a wonderful goal, with untold excitements along the way!

But life itself is an adventure, although much of the time it just seems to be the living out of predefined responsibilities. And sometimes, the adventure of life takes some unanticipated twists and turns. There are exhilarating moments of love and romance, but often also the longer-term disappointments of relationships gone awry. There are the wonderful days of new life when children come into the home, but a new level of pain never before experienced when these people we love so much are desperately ill, or become involved in lifestyle choices that crush our hearts.

A favorite actor that I have enjoyed over the years is Billy Crystal (how could I not love a guy who shares my passion for baseball?). And I especially liked the City Slickers films, as they address some of the questions and issues that arrive upon our mindscapes in the middle of life. Crystal (Mitch Robbins) and his friends are dealing with the humdrum rhythms of daily life routines. They decide to go on an adventure vacation they read about in a brochure – a two-week Southwestern cattle drive from New Mexico to Colorado. Upon arriving, the three friends demonstrate their lack of cowboy skills; but they gradually learn to rope and ride as they discuss their childhood hopes and adult disappointments.

When the crusty old veteran cowboy “Curly” and Mitch (Billy Crystal) are riding alone one day to round up some stray cattle, Curly explains that all of the stuff in life “don’t mean nothing” if you know the one thing that is the meaning of life. The Billy Crystal character asks what that one thing is. Curly tells Mitch he has to find that out for himself.

As God’s people we need to see and believe that the “one thing” is a living and dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ… a relationship that begins in this life and carries over into the world to come – with you as a full partner with God, in Christ, of the big story God is writing for all eternity. That has to affect everything about you! Every thought you have! Every plan you make! Every moment of your life! You are on the greatest adventure of all time – THE ADVENTURE. Let that thought change you and challenge you in terms of your every priority. So saddle up your horses, this is THE GREAT ADVENTURE!

^{PHP 3:7} But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Understand however that the adventure involves more than just good times. There is pain, loss, deprivation, periods of sadness, monstrous challenges! But you will arrive in the end… just gotta stay in the saddle! But we need to face the reality that the journey is a treacherous one.

The end is worth it all! We are not there yet, and none of us may even know what circuitous and difficult paths we may have to take along the road of “this Christian life.” But, like Paul who suffered many difficulties in the midst of his joyful service, we must fix our eyes on the prize at the end. He said in Philippians 3:13-14 …

¹³ Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Journey on!

An Ambassador of the King of Kings (2 Corinthians 5:16-21)

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Randy Buchman

Every so often at my Rotary club, we have an ambassador from another country come as a guest speaker. There are only a few categories of guest speakers that are afforded a standing applause greeting – ambassadors are one of them. An ambassador is an important person. He stands in representation of the sovereign in his country, and represents all that his kingdom values and promotes.

The Scriptures say that we are ambassadors for the King of Kings. I have always been so impressed with this concept, and honored that God should so regard us in such a light as to give us this incredible title and responsibility.

The Apostle Paul understood that he was an ambassador… and not just when he was preaching in a synagogue or proclaiming Christ in the marketplace. Paul remembered his role even when he was in jail chained to a huge Roman guard. He knew his position of service was a 24/7 kind of thing…

^{EPH 6:19} Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Being vitally related to God changes our viewpoint of both ourselves and those around us. Read what Paul told the Corinthians…

^{2CO 5:16} So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Paul is saying that the Christian has a new way of looking at people around him. It is not the same way people of the world look at each other. We see others with Kingdom glasses. We see them either as brothers and sisters in Christ, or we see them as enslaved by an alien kingdom in need of our services as an ambassador of the Kingdom of Light.

So there is no reason for the Christian to be insecure. You are not just an engineer, a nurse, a teacher, a mom or dad… you are an ambassador for the Creator, the One who holds it all together, the great Storyteller. That sure beats anything your unsaved neighbor is able to say he or she has membership within.

Like I said above – An ambassador is an important person. He stands in representation of the sovereign in his country and represents all that his kingdom values and promotes. As an adopted child of God, you have been commissioned as an Ambassador for the Kingdom of God. That makes you an important person with an important mission. You represent the sovereign of the universe and bear the marks of all The Kingdom values and promotes.

Are you daily conscious of this role? How well do you serve in this assignment? Ask God to make you aware and effective as His chosen representative – it is part of your role in The Story that God is writing and the adventure and journey of walking in relationship with Him.

God Likes ME? And He Wants Me? (1 John 3:1-2)

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Randy Buchman

A great many people, even God’s people, have a difficult time getting their mind around the idea that God actually likes them and is interested in them. I suppose much of this difficulty centers in a sense that many people feel they are so unworthy and so unrighteous – even while professing faith in Christ. Others may have a view of God wherein He is seen as so completely “other” and distant from any measure of practical or daily relationship and communication.

But the facts from Scripture are absolutely clear. He loves you with a love that is immense…

^{1JN 3:1} How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

You still not sure? Let me ask you… have you died for anyone else lately?

Rev. 1:5-6 … To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father–to him be glory and power for ever and ever!

Soren Kierkegaard wrote a wonderful story called “The King and the Maiden” …

Suppose there was a king who loved a humble maiden. This king was like no other king. Every statesman trembled before his power. No one dared breathe a word against him, for he had the strength to crush all his opponents. And yet this mighty king was melted by love for a humble maiden. How could he declare his love for her? In an odd sort of way, his kingliness tied his hands. If he brought her to the palace and crowned her with jewels and clothed her in royal robes, she would surely not resist—no one dared resist him. But would she love him?

She would say she loved him, of course, but would she truly? Would she be happy at his side? How could he know? If he rode to her forest cottage in his royal carriage, with an armed escort waving bright banners, that too would overwhelm her. He did not want a cringing subject. He wanted a lover.

The story goes on to present the king’s solution. He would disguise himself as a beggar, and would win her heart in that manner. And so it is with Christ, who has entered our world as one of us, to win our hearts, and to rescue us from our impoverished condition in sin.

Most great stories have a rescue, and we thrill to that most exciting part of the adventures we enjoy.

Jack will come to rescue Rose. William Wallace will rise up to rescue Scotland. Luke Skywalker will rescue the princess and then the free peoples of the universe. Nemo’s father rescues him. Nathaniel rescues beautiful Cora – not just once, but twice. Neo breaks the power of the Matrix and sets a captive world free. Aslan comes to rescue Narnia… Why does every great story have a rescue? Because your does. (John Eldridge, Epic, p. 61)

God loves us so much, He has rescued us from death itself. But this rescue goes far beyond fire insurance. He then desires a relationship with us. He adopts us into His very own family. And beyond that, He positions us to be a major player in what He is doing and will do in His great story. That, in a word, is incredible.

Let us consider some of what you are now in Christ…

Peter told his readers that they are a living part of Christ, chosen, precious, and a holy priesthood – meaning able to come individually before God in an acceptable way.

^{1PE 2:4} As you come to him, the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him– ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. … … ⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received -mercy.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans of the nature of their relationship to God – speaking eloquently as to how they are adopted in the Family. And this family relationship brings with it great privileges as heirs.

^{RO 8:12} Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation–but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, ¹⁴ because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

We will share in His glory, because of His grace. And not only that, but we will reign with him!! John, in The Revelation, records the words of the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders, bowed down before the Lamb in the heavenly throne room, singing…

^{REV 5:9-10} “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Our response to this must of necessity be one of worship and thanks for God’s magnanimous grace. Allow yourself to be shattered by the immensity of God’s love for you… spend some time in prayer flat on your face before God… stand with your eyes heavenward, and your arms open in expression of love for your Savior.

Seriously

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